A Word On Donald Sterling

The news cycle has been chock full of updates and opinions on the Donald Sterling situation in Los Angeles over the past three days. I’m not necessarily looking to bring any additional attention to this scumbag or add to the fracas here.

When I created this site my intention was to comment on the commentary in the world around us. The initial reaction on Saturday afternoon as the tape came out was one of shock and disgust that someone of this day and age, in Mr. Sterling’s position of prominence, could possibly have these bigoted views of the world. I totally understand this reaction. Frankly, I had it myself.

The more I think about the scenario however the more I come to the realization that I’m less concerned with the fact that someone in 2014 could have those views, but rather I’m impressed with the reaction from society when someone does.

The Wife and I watched Adam Silver’s press conference today when I was home at lunch – for the record I thought Adam Silver did an excellent job in his first major spotlight moment as the commissioner of the NBA. His words were direct and succinct and in taking the punishment to the maximum extent allowable it was appropriate given the scenario. To speak to the gravity and cultural significance of the event it’s worth noting that ABC interrupted General Hospital mid-show – giving the announcement the full breaking news treatment on a Monday at 1pm CST. While watching the event The Wife made the following comment, “If you told Martin Luther King that in 2014 we’d be dealing with this situation, he’d have to be disappointed.” While I certainly agree with her point I also think Mr. King would be pretty impressed at the outrage this whole situation has brought with it. It was not that long ago that the mentality of a lot of people in positions of power in our country thought the way Donald Sterling does. It would not have been news if the owner of the Boston Red Sox was openly racist – because in fact he was – but today when a person of prominence voices their ignorance the greater portion of society is in agreement that they should be condemned.

We as a society have come a long way in terms of our agreed upon moral standards. While we’ll probably never reach a 100% consensus on anything, I feel as though a significant shift has taken place in the past fifty years. Chuck Klosterman makes the point in his book I Wear The Black Hat that over time, the progressives always win. In essence, those pushing for social equality and human rights are in the right and eventually society will come around to their way of thinking. It certainly doesn’t happen as fast as some would like but we’re moving in the right direction.

In summary, no I’m not glad that this whole series of events has played out the way it has. It’s upsetting that someone who’s “succeeded” in so many ways in life could be so flawed. In another sense however I think it’s good that every now and again we have these moral ethics check-ups as a civilization and I’m happy to see the progress in our evolution as a whole.